The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1887-09-09

GIi NIlOtl MO IoaO tIo OtO kAttGSSf VII
had / not been able to understand g
word OF the dialect, the looks and &C
tions of the Indians would have been
sufficient to tell me what fate they in
tended to mete out to us. Sewell
was placed in one lodge and / in an
other, and the war party were soon
engaged with breakfast. 1t was not
yet fully daylight when was pulled
of the horse, and therefore / had
not yet been recognized. l was pref
ty generally known to all the tribes,
and they had named me "The Long
Death" Igot the name by killing
some OF them with ariHe which knock
ed them over when the supposed
themselves far beyond range. My
only hope was that no onei in thecrowd
would be able to identify me, as ! had
lately had my hair cut close and my
whiskers entirely removed. but day
light had only come when three q
riors looked in on me, gave q start OF
surprise, and one OF them called at
the top of his voice:
at is the Long Death! We have
got him at last. Here is the white
hunter who has killed SO many OF
our people"
The cat was out OF the bag, as the
old saying goes, and l stood there and
faced them and knew that l was DOOM
ed to the most horrible tortures they
could invent.
They did not keep me long in wait
ing. The knowledge of my identity
whetted their savage appetltes, aad
while the warriors who captured lis
were eating breakfast the rest OF the
village were astir with preparations.
The camp wasinabito of valley on the
bank OF Smoky Hill Fork, and two
young trees were cut down, trimmed
to a proper length and then driven in
to the ground in the centre OF the vii
lage. The one intended for me was
almost in front OF my tepee, and |
stoon at the entrance and saw the
young men drive it into the earth.
More than that, l sung out to them
in a steady voice in their W dia-
lect.
"a stake like that to hold The
Long Death! You shall see how he
will tear it up!"
My words were received with shouts
OF satisfaction. No people on earth
respect courage in a man as much as
the Indians. There are no less cruel
to a game man, but his gameness will
shorten his torture. Feeling that my
time had come, and hoping to pro.
woke some OF them to shoot or toma-
hawk me, Icalled out the names of
half q dozen OF the tribe whom had
sent to the happy hunting grounds:
Some Of the young men fairly raved
to get at me. but Che order ofthe chief
was to wait. / boosted that | could
outshoot, outridc and outrun their
best men, and offered to Tight any
six OF them if they would turn me
loose, but all this talk only gave them
the more satisfaction in thinking ofthe
torture in store for ME. On the same
principle that people nj their pie
last, the Indians led Sewell out first.
His condition. was such that but lit
tile fun could be anticipated from his
torture. He was a large, line-lookina
man, but the result OF his spree and
OF his capture was to break hin
down. He had no more courage thar
q child, aud it was pitiiul to see hin
weep and hear his lamentations.
begged OF the Indians to let him go
stating that he was a civilian who had
never injured them, and was so broker
down that he could not live long, ano
but for the hot-headed young men il
the tribe ! should have got him off
They urged that he a assist
ing to build the railroad which
was driving the game and the In
dian out OF the country. aud thai
the white men never spared q warrior
because he was ill. Such talk as thi.
settled it, and the engineer was lee
out, stripped OF his clothing, and tie,
securely to the stake. Had refused
to looL on, it would have been takei
as an act OF cowardice on my part
Reading this | stepped outside TIL
lodge and stood within ten feet OF TIL
stake. Sewell wept and begged Will
being made fast, but when they step
ped back he suddenly grew calm ant
asked OF me:
Taylor, what does this all mean
What are they going to do with me?'
"They are going to torture you, Mr.
Sewell."
care you o prisoner, too?"
Eyes, and they will torture me ate
finishing you"
MY God! but this is awful. hay
$500 at the camp. Won't they tax
that and release us?"
replied thatif we were worth q millio,
dollars q piece we could not purchas
our liberty under the circumstances
and advisedhim local UP all his cou,
age and seek to die like q man. An,
sign OF weakness on his part woul
excite contempt andincreased torture
and the better way was to defy ther
to do their worst. believe be trie
his best to brace up, but his nerve
were dreadfully shattered, and ate
three or four minutes he began cryin
again. This had Just the effect | pre-
dicted. Half a hundred boys wer
sent off to cut switches, and whe
they returned they were told to &
ahead and applythem to the engineer
The idea was to whip some courag
into him, but it was a fiat failure
Almost at the first blow the ma
cried out like a woman, and, his fee
not having yet been tied. ne dance
about like a puppet. L called out t
him to kick his tormentors, but /
paid no heed to my voice, and ate
q Time he SGOOQ STOCK SUN ana leu VI
boys whip him until blood was draw
in a score of places. All this time /
cried like q boy four or five years Ole
and / heard some OF the old warrior
say that he was the most coward
white man that they had ever me
, He may have lacked courage, but
always believed his conduct to ha,
!, been the result OF his shattered me
! tai and physical condition.
After the boys had switched him fe
{ ten minutes they were called OIL, III
3 couple OF warriors advanced wit
their muzzle-loadina rifles and besa
to fire charges of powder into Il
, poor fellows flesh. Does it hur
Well, sir, hell cant be any worse. T.
, had q dozen charges fired into me, al
I never felt any pain to equal 1T. |
+ take two bullets i'll preference to OF
charge OF powder every time. II
!, first charge set him TO dancing Al
, screaming, and at the third
q fourth he kicked one OF the warrlo
over, and bccame go savage that thu
. had to fully bind him to the stnk